


(christmas) baby please come home

by wasiandonuts



Category: Killing Eve (TV 2018)
Genre: Christmas, F/F, fluff and cuteness, romcom, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28230210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wasiandonuts/pseuds/wasiandonuts
Summary: villanelle and eve are apart this Christmas (or are they?) but still keep the xmas spirit alive with memories, presents, softness, surprises, and loveorvillaneve’s christmas netflix/hallmark romcom AU
Relationships: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Comments: 67
Kudos: 119





	1. december 20th

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to the villaneve christmas fic! i am planning to post two chapters a day with the last one being on the 25th. the story alternates between the present and the past and is denoted with dates (present day) and locations (past). Also, this fic was heavily inspired by music and I made a playlist of the songs that influenced each of the chapters!
> 
> enjoy and hope you are having a great holiday season and if not, hope this cheers you up! lol sidenote: it takes place in london a lot and i tried to put landmarks that were accurate...but please forgive me for any incorrect slang or stuff, i am just a mere boring american :/
> 
> playlist - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcTLaqK-xbXypivXYS6-aj5r6sewO32vf

"I'll be home with my love  
This Christmas  
I promise, I promise, I'll be home"  
\- I'll Be Home by Meghan Trainor

**December 20th**

Their bedroom window has a wintery frost which is yet another sad reminder of the upcoming holiday. Eve clutches her ceramic mug, piping hot with fresh coffee as she gazes out of the window. She looks down on the sidewalk below and spots a few young couples that wear matching hats and happily stroll down the snowy pavement. A few carolers fill the background with traditional songs and the jingle of bells. 

The blur of the winter frost makes the streetlights’ yellow hue seem like faraway orbs, and Eve herself feels like she isn’t quite present either. She takes a sip of her coffee, inhaling the hot, fragrant steam of her beverage. Eve exhales and fogs up the glass; she reaches up and lazily draws a line on the window, waiting.

Eve sighs once more, walks over to the bed, and sets down the almost-empty cup on the cluttered nightstand. She purses her lips and runs her hand through her curly hair as she reminisces on the pictures of her and Villanelle on the side table. Taking the fleece blanket on the bed, Eve folds it over and sits down on the now vacant spot. She tucks her socked feet into the covers and hugs her knees to her chest, wiggling her toes in the comfortable warmth of the blankets. Her laptop sits beside her idly, screen dimmed with the Skype app open.

The Skype jingle begins. A call is waiting.

Eve brings her hands and fluffs up her hair, ready to answer. She smooths out her flannel shirt as if she was about to go on a business call then moves her mouse to hover over the accept button.

“Eve! God, I can’t stop thinking about you.” Villanelle’s smile warms Eve’s heart more than the hot black coffee ever could. Eve can see that Villanelle’s hair is loose and slightly puffy which usually means that she is at the end of her workday. It makes sense as it is already 5 pm in Villanelle’s time while it is still morning in London. Eyebags also sit tiredly under her beautiful green-hazel eyes; the trip is getting to her.

“Hi, darling. How is Singapore?” Eve tries to muster up her best smile but even through video call, Villanelle probably knows that Eve’s heart is in despair with them not being together.

“Hot and humid. It isn’t very nice to hair”, she points dramatically to her tied back blonde hair, “as you can see.”

Eve laughs softly, and Villanelle joins in as she flattens her flyaways and adjusts her camera. Behind Villanelle, Eve can see a shelf full of decorative plants and pictures; it looks like Villanelle is still at the office. She swears she does not know a harder working human than her girlfriend.

“Your hair looks amazing as always, Vee. I just-- I can’t stop pacing the rooms and missing you beside me. Are you one hundred percent sure you can’t make it back here?” 

Eve looks at the screen with pleading eyes, searching for an answer. Villanelle had been stuck in Singapore for the past few days, and her stay was extending because her client wanted a meeting on Christmas Eve. In these cases, Eve is glad to be stationed in London as a criminal psychology consultant for the government but also devastatingly sad since Villanelle just  _ had  _ to be one of the best financial analysts in the world and traveled often and worked on weekends.

“Eve.” Villanelle lowers her voice just barely above a whisper, “it hurts me to not celebrate the snow and the presents with you, I mean you  _ know  _ I love gifts.”

Eve nods enthusiastically and takes her finger to lightly graze Villanelle’s jaw through the screen, “yeah, you do.”

“And that is why I promised to make it up to you and more. If we need to have Christmas until February, so be it. As much as I despise corporate because they are keeping me from my love, this deal is super important because it buys us enough time. Freedom to do whatever  _ we  _ want.” 

“Even if I want to sit on the couch for a week to watch the Great British Bake Off?” Eve wiggles her eyebrows because she knows Villanelle would much rather watch a movie or even go skydiving than slothing around on the couch for days.

Villanelle sighs, of course out of love, and pretends to stroke a beard, “hmm. I suppose GBBO is freedom for some people. Sure, Eve. I will lay on that lumpy couch of yours to watch idiots drop cakes.”

Eve pumps her fist in the air excitedly and then remembers the comment about the couch, “Wait. Hey! My couch is perfectly fine. Better than any of your luxury leather seats that are probably as hard as a rock.”

“Now, now, Eve. We agreed to compromise with the decorations and while the aesthetic is totally off, I appreciate that couch. We had some…” Villanelle licks her lip and winks through the screen. Eve can’t help but giggle and bite her own lip, ruminating on all of their steamy nights and mornings too. As much as Eve misses those times, it is still the little conversations and moments that she so dearly misses when Villanelle is gone. Eve sighs. 

“If you told me two years ago, I would be missing someone  _ this _ much who is across the world, I’d tell you you’re crazy,” Eve declares this as if it is the first time she has said it. Except, of course, it wasn’t because every day she gets to wake up and see pictures and evidence of Villanelle in her life, it seems impossible she found the love of her life. But here they are.

“Oh my god, Eve. You miss me?” Villanelle grins amusedly on the other side of the screen, and Eve rolls her eyes in retort. She misses even the  _ annoying  _ parts of the love of her life.

“It feels just like yesterday that you almost accidentally pushed me off that ski lift.”

Eve reddens at the mention of the ski lift and throws her hands up in the air, “are we  _ still _ on that? Really?!”

“I will never get over it,” Villanelle puts her most serious face on but then throws her head back in a hearty laugh, and her cackle is so contagious that Eve just has to join in. Their first time meeting each other really does feel so close yet so far. The chilly bite of that day matches the cold sting of the London air, except without the anticipation and giddiness of meeting Villanelle and rather is filled with the longing of missing Villanelle.

“I have to go back to my hotel now and get some dinner. I will call you again tomorrow okay?” A sullen, exhausted look returning to Villanelle’s face. Eve understands and frowns at the end of their short time together. She gazes out the window from the view of her bed. If only they could be like those couples out there, enjoying the holidays together. They will when Villanelle comes back, just not now.

“Okay. I love you so much, Vee”

“Love you so much too. Stay warm!”

Eve nods dejectedly and hangs up the call. She closes her laptop and crawls under the covers. It is Sunday which means Eve technically could sleep in. While it is already nearing 11 am, Eve is already pulling the fleece up to her chin and fixes her gaze on the framed picture on her side table of her and Villanelle at a ski lodge. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading ;)
> 
> talk to me on twitter and tumblr @wasiandonuts
> 
> ALSO! thank you specifically to conah nation for being the backbone of ke fic twt (love you maryconah and charlieconah <3)


	2. Alpine Ski Lodge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I've been far away  
> But I'll keep runnin'  
> Just to find a way to you 'til then"  
> -Mariposa by Peach Tree Rascals

_ Alpine Ski Lodge, 2 years ago _

Yes, it is the week after New Year’s Eve. Yes, Eve is learning how to ski with the kids’ group. And yes, she came on vacation alone, without any kids, and now, without a partner either. She and Niko had just ended a 7-year long relationship that didn’t even get to the marriage part. That son of a bitch never got the balls to propose or do anything with his life. Niko with his dumb fucking mustache and fake-nice attitude--

“Ms. Park?” The teenage ski instructor as well as a gaggle of kids under the age of 10 stares at her with deep concern in their eyes. But who wouldn’t be concerned at a middle-aged woman angrily stabbing the snow next to her with a ski pole while murmuring curse words? 

“WHAT?....Um, I mean. Sorry. So sorry, my uh pole is malfunctioning.” Eve smiles warily, avoiding the unbelieving, judgemental stares from the children. She gives the teenager a thumbs up as a sign to continue on explaining something about safety and the ski lift. 

Like she even needs a tutorial anyways. Eve is a pro, she’s been to this lodge probably a dozen times with Niko. Of course, he never offered to teach her  _ how  _ to ski and would leave her alone to go shmooze it up with some young ski girls or his idiotic friends, who kept being a terrible influence on him. But when Eve told Niko to stop hanging out with those dumbasses, did he listen? No, he didn’t and--

“Ms. Park. I might have to ask you to leave this intro to the slopes class. The kids, I mean, other students are concerned.”

Eve sticks her tongue in her cheek and nods haughtily at those little pricks who have  _ no idea  _ what she is going through. Her pole is now stuck in the hard snow next to her as she probably jammed it in her flurry of emotions. She tries to slyly wield it out of the ground like some King Arthur trying to pull Excalibur out of the rock. After she pulls it out of the snow gracefully (not really) and brushes the hair out of her face with dignity, the instructor escorts her past the other kids and skiers to a bench near the ski lift where Eve can take her gear off. Once the teen is gone, she grumpily slouches against the back of the bench like a kid in timeout. 

She glares out into the distance. Families and couples laugh and cheer as they smoothly navigate down the snowy slopes with their skills and skis. Eve thinks to herself that she would never be in a relationship like those, let alone happy in one. Since she has nowhere to be and is stuck with her skis for a couple more hours, Eve decides to ride the ski lift a few times. Maybe she is proving something to someone or is too lazy to actually take off the long things attached to her feet, but Eve stomps up to an open seat on the lift. Eve is expecting a long, peaceful trip up the mountain, by herself. As she sighs and gets comfy, her seat rocks and moves. Eve turns her head to find a guest has decided to join her. While Eve absolutely wants this content time alone to herself for contemplation, internal ranting and whatnot, having a  _ beautiful _ blonde guest wouldn’t be so bad. As long as she doesn’t talk.

“Hi! Do you mind if I take a ride with you?”

And her guest talked. With a slight Russian accent too. Fuck.

“No, I don’t mind,” Eve sizes the young woman up, noting the perfect curves of her face and the warm, inviting smile, “um well, I’m Eve. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

“The pleasure is all mine. I’m Villanelle.” Villanelle holds out a gloved hand and Eve struggles a bit, with the puffy coat and all, to shake the hand. Villanelle giggles a bit, a sound that actually makes Eve’s stomach turn...in a good way.

“So you’re named after a poem? How mysterious.” Eve catches herself staring at her lift partner. She bites the inside of her cheek, averting her eyes to focus instead on the small figures sliding down the slopes below.

Villanelle laughs and adjusts her knitted hat, “oh Eve, you are funny. I like you. And I named myself that as a sort of rebranding.”

Eve narrows her eyes and cocks her head to one side, thinking if this woman is actually serious. Because maybe Eve needs a rebranding too, “oh really? And why did you find the need to reinvent yourself, Ms. Villanelle….? Is your last name Limerick or Acrostic too?”

“Hah! Hilarious, Eve. Unfortunately, it’s Astankova. And don’t we all need to reimagine ourselves constantly?” Now, Eve is getting some weird vibes from this girl. After the day she’s had, Eve does not need some deep philosophical identity crisis right now. She stares at Villanelle, skeptical of what is coming next.

“Uh sure?”

“Well, I wanted to get away from bad memories and emotions from my past so renaming myself seemed to be the best option for me.”

Eve nods in agreement, surprised at the relatable comment. She would have never thought she would share something in common with someone like Villanelle. This woman is like a supermodel, and she  _ chose _ to sit with Eve. Unbelievable! She sees in the corner of her eye that Villanelle is gazing at the skiers below. Villanelle then scissors her feet so that she jostles the seat, more than Eve is comfortable with. Eve gasps and grabs on the handle near her.

“Villanelle…..can you uh stop that?”

Villanelle turns to her, a teasing glimmer in her eyes, “why Eve? This is so much fun. Nothing bad will happen, see? The lift isn’t going to break down or anyth--”

CLICK. CLICK. The lift stops. 

Villanelle immediately stops and grabs the side handles herself.

“Okay, Eve. I am so sorry. SO SORRY! I didn’t mean to jinx it. This never happens! Oh my god. OH MY GOD.” 

As Villanelle nervously looks around and breathes rapidly next to her, Eve facepalms and exhales out slowly. Why did she have to get stuck with an idiot? Eve starts looking around as well, checking if anyone is doing anything to get the lift back up and running.

“Eve. I swear I did not mean for this to happen. What is going on? Is anybody going to— IS ANYBODY FIXING THIS?!” Villanelle screams out loudly so that the lift operator and probably the entire lodge could hear her voice. 

A young person below waves frantically at Villanelle and Eve, trying to get their attention. Eve taps the maniacal Villanelle and points to where the person is below them. 

“MA’AM IT IS JUST A SLIGHT MALFUNCTION. WE WILL BE BACK UP AND RUNNING IN A FEW MINUTES. PLEASE STOP PANICKING.”

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO,” Villanelle yells back and Eve has to give her a pointed look. Villanelle sighs dramatically.

“Fine. THANK YOU SIR, I WILL STOP NOW.”

“Do you always carry this bad luck wherever you go?” Eve rests her chin on her knuckles, staring at Villanelle. The blonde raises an eyebrow and snorts, amused by the question.

“No Eve, maybe you’re the one who has the bad juju,” Villanelle scans Eve up and down and suddenly, Eve feels that good stomach turn once again. 

“Unmarried huh?”

Eve flares her nostril at this smartass next to her. God, when can she get off of this lift and get away from this nuisance of a woman, forever. 

“Why yes, and newly single too.”

“Oh?” Eve swears that she saw Villanelle licks her lips. Eve’s cheeks redden as Villanelle holds back a smile. Villanelle leans a bit closer to Eve, and Eve has to stop herself from reacting. When Villanelle’s face is mere inches away from Eve’s, she lets out a slight laugh, and Eve gets goosebumps from the warm breath. Eve hadn’t let anybody get this close to her since, well, Niko. She squirms a bit away before she does anything she’ll regret.

“Do...you have to be this close?”

They were suspended 10 meters in the air, alone. As much as Eve would hate to admit it, she has been enjoying this little break from her messily chaotic life. Villanelle does something to her, and to be frank, that scares Eve.

“You intrigue me, Eve. This may be forward, but seeing as we have just braved a frightening, bonding experience...”

“No it wasn’t.”

“And you are so lonely…”

“Excuse m--”

“May I have your number...you know, for moral support and friendship.”

“We are not friends.”

Villanelle pouts like a child and widens her eyes, pretending to be hurt and in shock. Before Eve can respond, their seat jerks to life and the both let out a sigh of relief. A chilly breeze blows upon them, making Eve shiver. Feeling a bit bad for rejecting Villanelle, Eve glances over to her who turned away from Eve and now looks very much offended.

The rest of the ride is silent and as they return back to solid ground, Villanelle rushes to unseat herself and already begins trekking back to the lodge. Eve releases herself from the seat and lets Villanelle walk away. Then something rises in Eve, something uncontrollable and that something just won’t let her new  _ friend  _ walk away.

“Wait! Villanelle!” Eve calls out to Villanelle who stops dead in her tracks. She slowly turns around with a shit-eating grin on her face. As Villanelle makes her way back to where Eve is standing, just a few feet from the ski lift, Eve clumsily digs for her phone in her deep pocket.

Villanelle happily grabs the device and starts tapping on it, adding her phone number. She turns her head to look at Eve and winks.

“Couldn’t get rid of me that fast, huh?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Here. I need a contact picture, let’s take one.”

Eve can’t even fight Villanelle as she is pulled into an embrace. Villanelle holds Eve tightly and raises the phone for a selfie. Eve braves a smile, perhaps the only genuine one in a long while. After Villanelle sets the picture as her contact, she hands Eve’s phone back.

“I’ll see you around, Eve.”

“You too, Villanelle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading ;)
> 
> talk to me on twitter or tumblr @wasiandonuts
> 
> again, s/o to conah nation for being the bestest ever


	3. december 22nd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song is in the chapter ;)

**December 22nd**

“Elena, can I go home now? We finished the damn case,” Eve pleads to her best friend and work associate. It is Eve’s last day of work for the rest of the year, and she is itching to get back home.

“Carolyn wants this particular report done about the guy murdered in Austria by the end of today, so as long as you email that to her, you can go.” Elena pats Eve’s shoulder and gives her a half-smile as she too packs up for her winter holiday. They were going to see each other in just a few days because without Villanelle, Eve only has Elena and Bill in London.

Eve purses her lips in thought, doing one final read-through of her report on the Austria case. Some poor guy was murdered in broad daylight, and Eve suspects a female contract killer. No one but Elena believes her, so she is drafting up an official report to prove herself right. She clicks ‘Send’ and shuts her laptop with pride. After throwing her phone in her purse, Eve accompanies Elena to the elevators. She shivers a bit stepping into the metal box; London has gotten colder and colder each day. When they reach the first floor, both Eve and Elena zipper up their coats and brace the frosty air. 

“I’ll see you in a few days, Eve. Call me!” Elena gives Eve a kiss on the cheek before jogging to her bus stop. Eve waves belatedly goodbye and turns the opposite way to where she parked her car on a side street. She rubs her hands together, cursing how she forgot her gloves at home. Eve throws her purse into the passenger seat and slumps down on the leather seats.

She starts the engine and finds the knob to increase the heat in the car. The sun is slowly setting, and the neighboring building’s holiday lights begin to flourish in the dimming scenery. Eve runs her fingers through her slightly knotted hair which is also cold and damp for some reason. Too tired to even be disgusted at that fact, she clicks her seatbelt and pulls out of the spot. The radio is faintly playing Christmas tunes in the background, and Eve is reminded once again of Villanelle.

Eve used to hate the holiday season because she was never happy during the countless events and dinners she was dragged to against her will. Before meeting Villanelle, she accompanied past partners to silly get-togethers where they faked smiles and exchanged pleasantries. To add, those partners, and even her family back home in the States, never put in the effort to ask what Eve wanted to do or how she wanted to celebrate. Only with Villanelle did Eve feel like she was understood. 

God, Eve hates how sappy that sounds. A single person really did change her life, and that person wasn’t going to be here for what is not going to the “happiest time of the year.”

_ The snow's coming down _

_ I'm watching it fall _

_ Lots of people around _

_ Baby, please come home _

Eve turns up the volume as the upbeat rhythms of Darlene Love’s rendition of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) booms through her car. She accelerates the Range Rover (yes, Villanelle insisted on buying it for the “both of them”) through the snowy streets of London as the sun goes down and the moon brightens. Streetlights illuminate the slick black roads and colorful holiday lights on rows of houses blur past Eve as she speeds by.

_ Pretty lights on the tree _

_ I'm watching them shine _

She had another Skype call earlier that morning with Villanelle who was just going to bed after a busy day trying to secure her international clients. Eve can just imagine Villanelle irately shouting at all of the finance guys to get their asses back to work because according to her, she works five times as hard as them and they don’t appreciate her talents. Eve agrees of course. Again, Eve begged Villanelle to reconsider and come home a bit early, but duty calls.

_ You should be here with me _

_ Baby, please come home _

It is pitch black when Eve finally pulls in front of their brown-bricked home. She and Villanelle did some sparse decorating before Villanelle had to leave, so a sad strand of twinkling lights and a chic wreath lined the front of their house. As she walks up the stairs, her phone buzzes. Thinking it is just Elena or Carolyn following up on her report, she ignores it and beelines straight for the bedroom. Eve throws her purse on the bed and rips off the heavy winter coat. The days feel more and more draining most especially when Eve has no one to come home to. No “I’m home honey!” or shared dinners over stupid stories of idiotic co-workers. Just lonely solitude in a big empty house during the holidays.

Speaking of the holidays, after Eve changes into one of Villanelle’s rainbow sweaters and a pair of gray sweatpants, she pops open her laptop for some online present shopping and checks her phone. What she thought earlier was an ignorable message was actually one from Villanelle:  _ Good morning baby, can’t stop thinking about you. _

“Miss you, Vee” Eve holds the phone close to her heart and takes a deep breath. She looks beside her where Villanelle is usually laying down, grinning or playing with Eve’s curls. The pit of emptiness and despair grows larger, and Eve curses out that Singaporean client who is keeping Villanelle hostage on Christmas. Who does that! Before getting into some thorough Amazon browsing, Eve sends a simple heart to Villanelle and a GIF that says “Sending a Virtual Hug”.

Eve sets her usual 6 am alarm but stops herself, remembering that it is officially her holiday break. She puts down her phone on the nightstand near the picture of them at the ski lodge then laces her fingers together and stretches her arms out, prepping for a long night of deal watching and adding things to her online cart. She begins furiously researching luxury items and perfumes and opening 45 tabs of different online stores. Eve doesn’t understand how people enjoy this. Finding stuff is quite stressful; hell, the whole holiday shebang is stressful.

  
And Eve has accepted that she can never, ever out-gift the woman who literally is a walking runway and present connoisseur. Villanelle always knows the exact size of her gift recipient, what type of clothes or even kitchen appliances they would want (she actually gave Elena a brand new fridge for her birthday this year). After being with her for two years, Eve is content with being the mediocre gift giver between the two of them. Ever since their very first date, Villanelle has put Eve first and showered her with love and gifts that Eve feels like she does not deserve at all. So, this year has to be  _ good _ because Eve has some catching up to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading as always
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curious cat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> SHOUTOUT/APPRECIATION to two hilarious, awesome internet besties...alice and raf. they are v fun and their twitters provide so much A+ content
> 
> follow them on twitter!!! alice (@mulldergf) and raf (@oksanasdyke)


	4. Downtown London

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But as long as you're with me  
> It's always the time of the year  
> You make every day feel like it's Christmas"  
> -Like It's Christmas by the Jonas Brothers

_ Downtown London, 1 year and 11.7 months ago _

“Eve!” Villanelle waves her over, frantically. Eve was more than a block away from this sketchy restaurant somewhere in London. She just got off the bus and was fixing her coat when she heard a yell.

It had been a week after meeting at the Alpine Ski Lodge, and Villanelle quite literally called Eve just a day after leaving the snowy mountains. She apparently was going to be in London for a few days for work (expensive work at that) and wanted to grab a bite with Eve. On the other hand, Eve had to go back to her job and to her lonely house. She made it a mission to spend every holiday as far away from people as possible, and when Eve told Villanelle this on a phone call that morning, Villanelle told Eve she had a plan.

From knowing this woman for a very short amount of time, Eve is already apprehensive and frankly, frightened at what that “plan” entails. As a tall blonde jumps up and down in front of a shack of a restaurant, in what looks like a Gucci outfit (“this woman is insane,” Eve thinks), Eve prepares herself for what could be a mess of an evening.

“Hi, Villanelle. This is...quite the place you chose.” Eve peeks around the semi-dark alleyway. The ground was black and slushy, and the air grew colder as it blew down the essentially empty street. Villanelle takes a gander too but is way more enthusiastic and joyful about it than anyone should be after a long day of work.

“Oh man, Eve, do I have a night for you.” Again, a very scary thing to say to someone on the first date. Oh god, the first date. The last time Eve was on one of these, it had been with-- never mind. She has to stop dwelling on that mustache because well, this gorgeous woman before her should be the priority. Villanelle’s light gray bubble jacket and jeans seem like they could be worn on some fashion magazine and dwarf Eve’s army green winter coat and black leggings.

Villanelle loops her arm with Eve’s arm, and Eve has to restrain herself from reacting and signaling to Villanelle that this simple action surprised her. But before Eve could form a coherent thing to say to Villanelle, she gets literally pulled into the restaurant. Goddamn, this woman is strong.

After getting seated, they both open the paper menus and peruse the specials. However, Eve barely gets her menu open when Villanelle puts her hand on top of Eve’s. Eve sharply inhales at the warm touch.  _ Oh my god.  _ As if Villanelle knows she had done something to Eve, she grins, a sinister gleam in her eye.

“Because I know you were lonely during the past few months, we are going to make it up.” Villanelle takes her hand back and puts it in her lap. Eve furrows her brows out of confusion. Either Villanelle is fucking with her and being the largest asshole in the world for reminding Eve she was alone, or she is about to get murdered or taken somewhere beacuse nothing about this seemingly normal date night is normal.

“Okayyyy, I saw that face. No, I am not going to abduct you. We are going to redo Christmas and New Year’s together. First, we start with a feast, yeah?” 

Eve stares blankly at her, “huh? What do you mean ‘re-do’?” Villanelle flicks her wrist as if to say ‘don’t worry about it’ and hails the waiter over. She orders Norfolk turkey and some greens for both her and Eve. When Eve tries to interject, Villanelle shushes her and winks. 

“Such an asshole,” Eve coughs under her breath when the waiter finally leaves with their order. She takes a sip of water while fuming at Villanelle who currently looks very pleased with herself and somewhat excited, probably for the night of torture she is about to put Eve through.

After dinner (which Eve admits  _ was  _ quite delicious, but never to Villanelle’s face), Villanelle hails a ride, and they both pack into the yellow car. Eve, full and tired, still has no idea what Villanelle is upto, and she also has no idea why she keeps following this woman into shady places. Eve is constantly drawn to this woman, and it is apparent that Villanelle feels the same. However, they know nothing about each other except basic things like where each other was from and what they did over the holiday season, which of course Eve answered, “nothing really”. 

When they chatted about work over the turkey, Eve had the most incredulous look on her face when Villanelle proudly claimed she worked “everywhere” and Villanelle surprisingly was incredibly interested in Eve’s field of work, even saying “I always wondered what it was like to be criminal, on the other side, you know?”. Perhaps that comment would have put out a red flag to others, but to Eve, it was nice to have someone share that intriguing part of the job: getting into the minds of criminals, specifically assassins.

Eve glances over at Villanelle, who is excitedly peeking out the window. Eve shakes her head and smiles to herself. This night isn’t going too bad after all. The car finally pulls up to their next stop: the Natural History Museum. Eve is again befuddled and apprehensive about this part of the plan. Though, she has no time to think because Villanelle is basically leaping out of the car and again, forcefully coaxes a tense Eve to their next endeavor. Eve can spot a soft purple glow where Villanelle is dragging her towards. She squeals, “Oh Eve. You are going to LOVE this part of your Christmas re-do!”

Accepting that she is in  _ way too deep  _ and might actually be having fun, Eve relaxes her shoulders, and in no time, the two women make it to the source of the violet light. A brightly decorated evergreen pulls Eve into the scene: an ice skating rink full of tourists and Londoners alike, enjoying the evening circling the beautifully decorated, golden-lit Christmas tree. Even though it was only a short time  _ after _ Christmas, a flicker of holiday joy sparks within Eve, and her cheeks grow warm with contentment. From the corner of her eye, she can see Villanelle staring at her, wonder and satisfaction in her eyes.

“Okay, Villanelle. You’ve outdone yourself. This is quite a sight.”

Villanelle fist bumps and mouths a “yes!”, and Eve can’t help but laugh at her date. They make it to the skate rental booth and grab their respective pairs. Tension creeps into Eve again as she laces her white skates. Suddenly, she senses Villanelle’s hands on her shoulders, lightly massaging the area. 

“You feel like a rock, Eve. Do you not like ice skating? Did I do something wrong?”

“No no no. This is lovely. You are lovely. It’s just that--” Eve bites her lip, nervously. “I don’t know how to ice skate. And will certainly make a fool of myself out there.”

Villanelle purses her lips to keep from laughing, and even if they only have known each other for a short while, Eve smacks Villanelle’s arm, knowing the teasing that will come. Villanelle feigns pain, of course, yet instead of a smartass retort, she stands up and holds her hand out instead. Eve narrows her eyes at the unexpected gesture but takes the hand nonetheless and Villanelle pulls her up to her feet.

The skates below Eve wobble and creak, and Eve clutches Villanelle’s hand tighter to regain her balance. Slowly, they waddle to the edge of the ice rink. Before stepping in, Eve spots some showoffs skating backward and other newbies hanging on to the walls for support. Villanelle steps gracefully on to the ice first and holds out her other hand for Eve to hold. 

Eve’s skate buckles a bit when it comes in contact with the ice, and she can feel Villanelle’s warmth as the other woman wraps her arm around Eve’s waist to keep her upright. While Eve knows Villanelle probably is some type of expert skater, the blonde stays right next to Eve the entire time, guiding and encouraging.

“C’mon Eve. Push with your left foot then right then let the ice do the work!” Villanelle demonstrates as Eve hangs on the plastic fence. Eve would much rather watch Villanelle skate than wipe out in a public rink and embarrass herself in front of children...again. However, no one can say no to those pleading hazel eyes when Villanelle motions Eve to skate to her. Taking a deep breath, Eve pushes off of the wall and moves her feet in a jerking motion for a few meters to Villanelle’s open arms. 

Amazed that she could ‘skate’, Eve laughs, a true, hearty one and one that she probably has not shared with anyone else. Villanelle joins in, and Eve  _ almost  _ does not notice that they are basically hugging. She shakes her head to bring her back to Earth and starts to slowly pull away, but of course, her skates decide to fail her, and she begins to fall.

Then Eve feels a strong arm catch her and pull her up. Villanelle gives Eve a reassuring half-smile, and Eve quietly mutters, “thanks”. Their faces are only a few inches apart, and even though the weather is close to that of Antarctica, a fiery heat grows between them. Eve realizes that she had been staring at Villanelle’s lips and when she glances up for a moment, Villanelle is staring at hers. The crowd’s conversation and the purple glow of the light fade.

“Eve.” Villanelle whispers, “I think we can move on to New Year’s now right?”

“Huh?” Eve is too engrossed with the sharp lines of Villanelle’s jaw and cheekbones and the moles on the side of her face. She does not remember that this whole night was a re-do of the holidays.

“Eve. Eyes up here. What time is it?” Villanelle raises one of her eyebrows, looking expectantly at Eve. Eve is taken aback by this random question, doesn't this woman have a watch?

“Actually, Eve. Never mind. Let’s just say it’s midnight.”

“Villanelle, it is only eight-thirty. What do you mean--”

Then Villanelle kisses her. And Eve can’t restrain herself from wrapping her arms around Villanelle’s neck and attempting to go on her tippy-toes. Of course, she forgets she is on a skating rink and she has to hold onto Villanelle’s shoulders to stay standing. They part, and Villanelle cackles, throwing her head back and snakes her hand around Eve’s waist.

“Isn’t that what they do on New Year’s Eve?”

“Yes? But, um, can we leave now?”

Villanelle smirks and lightly moves a strand of curl out of Eve’s face. She pretends to think about it for a bit then almost immediately nods profusely. Eve bites her lip to keep from smiling because she totally knows where this is going.

“Vee, my house?”

Villanelle doesn’t even respond, she just takes Eve’s hand and tugs her to the exit. They quickly take off their skates and hail another car to head to Eve’s house for the night. This has to be the best Christmas/New Year’s Eve/First Date that Eve has ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading y'all <3
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> ANOTHER SHOUTOUT/APPRECIATION to these two precious souls who I appreciate so very much...@ag3ntof (cognovi on ao3) and @compassionchasr (prodigalpoet on ao3...AMAZING STORIES BTW PLEASE GO READ THEIR WORK!!)
> 
> they are so kind and wonderful, and I love chatting with them on twitter and even here through ao3 :)


	5. december 23rd

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I really need somebody to call my own  
> I wanna be somebody to someone  
> Someone to you"  
> \- Somone To You by Banners

**December 23rd**

“...our analysis projects that partnering with us would net you an annual sales growth of over 200%. No other financial or consulting group could offer you or even think to promise you that level of year over year improvement, and we can achieve all of this by allowing me and my team to conduct a proper financial restructuring of your company. Thank you for your time.”

Villanelle nods confidently fixes her blazer, and grabs her portfolio then sits down proudly at the head of the conference table. It had been her fourth straight day of back to back meetings, and there is no sign of them stopping anytime soon. As much as Villanelle would rather be at home with Eve, snuggled up under a heated blanket, the power and thrill of the fast-paced financial world is unmatched. And, Eve doesn’t know that work isn’t the only reason why Villanelle agreed to go to Singapore.

She pretends to type some notes on her laptop while her partner goes up to present. Their client has a team of advisors in the room, so that makes a fun stuffy, male-dominated experience which is Villanelle’s favorite because they ignore her when she isn’t promising them anything. Like right now. 

Villanelle runs through her neverending list of emails which include her return flight; while it arrives in London at 5am in the morning, the redeye flight is totally worth it. Eve is probably going to be ecstatic about it, and Villanelle softly beams to herself thinking about her most adorable person in the whole world excitedly hugging her and welcoming Villanelle home. However, that was a few days away. Back to the present, she clicks open a new tab and browses the Internet for the nearest sushi place for dinner as well as directions from her hotel to the city center. The night is young, and she is sure Eve won’t be  _ too  _ angry about missing one of their nightly calls. 

After the meeting is over and she has shaken hands with more men than she would have liked, Villanelle quickly throws her stuff in a large Louis Vuitton purse and slings it over her shoulder. She basically sprints her way to the elevator, so she could go to her hotel and still arrive at the sushi place on time. Villanelle rushes through the lobby, unfazed by how disheveled and  _ sweaty _ she might look (although, a Gucci suit and a silk blouse  _ shouldn’t _ wrinkle).

When she arrives at her hotel, Villanelle doesn’t even take a moment to talk it up with the bell women and front desk people like she usually does, but rather speedwalks to another set of elevators. Once Villanelle finally gets to her room, she chucks her purse onto a random table and rips off her blazer. Before running to the bathroom, she rifles through one of her messy luggages for some jeans and a casual tank top to change into. Once she finds a suitable outfit, Villanelle throws it on the bed and turns back to her suitcase.

She runs her hand along the inside of the bag, feeling for the secret little pocket she made. Villanelle loves to hide stuff in places where Eve wouldn’t think to check; most of the things she tucks away are innocuous but it is a fun little game to play with someone who is very good at tracking down hidden things and clues for a living. When her finger hits the little zipper on the side of the luggage, she unzips it slowly to reveal a folded note. She had scribbled on the slightly crumpled sheet of paper minutes before she left the house. It contained a street address to “Goldheart” and a single number: 6. Villanelle tucks the paper in her purse and goes to change for dinner.

After dinner, on her way to “Goldheart”, she thinks of Eve. Villanelle had just texted her that a meeting was going over, and she called for a rain check on their daily Skype calls. It physically hurts her, of course, to have to skip a day without seeing the literal love of her life, but she is confident it is for the better. Villanelle has been ruminating on a possible Christmas gift for Eve. 

Eve had always been the more responsible and practical one in the relationship, insisting on settling for the handy kitchen appliance rather than new Louboutin heels. As much as Villanelle would love to argue with Eve over those little things, she knows it would be like fighting against a cement wall. So, to not piss Eve off, Villanelle gets a nice, luxury gift then something from ASDA like a spatula. For some present inspiration this year, she thinks of Eve’s ex, Niko. 

“Ew,” Villanelle says out loud as she crosses a busy street in the Downtown Core of Singapore. She shudders at the thought of Eve with that plain mustache man; thank god, her curly-haired queen left that boring idiot. Anyways, Eve had always worn a promise ring from him (that asshole never thought of proposing to Eve, how dare he) until Villanelle moved in with Eve. It only then did Eve finally get rid of that dull, gold accessory. 

Villanelle’s plan was to replace that ring with an even better piece of jewelry: an engagement ring. Ever since Villanelle saw Eve, struggling with her skis at the Alpine Ski Lodge, she knew in her core that woman was the  _ one _ . At this point, Villanelle arrives at her destination, Goldheart Jewelers. She has the perfect ring in mind already and has the perfect plan to surprise Eve with it.

Browsing the rows of glass cases with glistening necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings, she finds it. A bright platinum banded ring, lined with small square diamonds in a size 6. In the middle of the silver ring is a huge 3-carat princess cut, square diamond that is surrounded by other little diamonds. It may be overkill to some, but Villanelle searched far and wide for this ring, and only Goldheart had it. She asks the sales associate to set it nicely in a red box and when she walks out of the store, Villanelle thinks that this may be the best Christmas ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading <3
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> this chapter goes out to my curiouscat anons for being constantly hilarious, spicy, thoughtful and supportive! they keep me on my toes and i appreciate every single one of them
> 
> also as per kendra's request, shoutout to the green M&M too ahah


	6. West Brompton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> song is in the chapter ;)

_ West Brompton, 1 year and 3 months ago _

Villanelle almost drops the box of plants as she struggles to fit through Eve’s narrow front door. She has about forty more cardboard boxes full of stuff to move into the house while Eve is unpacking the other hundred inside, humming to songs playing on Villanelle’s Macbook. When Villanelle agreed to move in with Eve, she forgot about the actual process of moving things. 

She simply imagined them wining and dining in their elegantly decorated rooms in their exquisitely furnished home in an upscale part of London. Eve had suggested moving in together after dating for a few months because Eve had just bought this new home with her pay raise at work and the headquarters of Villanelle’s new finance job was based in London. All of the signs pointed to moving in with Eve and it truly was the perfect idea except for the decision to move-in on the most humid day.

She drops the box of succulents and orchids on the counter of the kitchen and lets out a dramatic, exhausted sigh.

“Almost done?” Eve peeks out behind a tall stack of boxes in the living room at Villanelle. She has her curly mane tied back tightly in a ponytail and wears a gray tank top and gray joggers. Villanelle has a similar outfit, downing Lululemon leggings, and a plain white tank. She puts her hand on her hip and leans her weight on one leg.

“What do you think, Eve?” Villanelle takes a long swig of water and runs her hand along her head, smoothing out flyaways. Eve laughs and nods in understanding then turns back to the box of sweaters she is unpacking. Eve doesn’t notice her face going from interested to confused, but Villanelle does.

“Don’t make fun of my sweaters, Eve.”

“I’m not.” Eve picks one out, holding the expensive black cashmere with only her pointer and thumb. She wiggles her nose and sets it back down and rummages through the box for an identical sweater, “I’m just wondering why you have so many of them. And before you say something about my extremely versatile turtlenec--”

“How about your turtlenecks, huh?”

“GODDAMNIT VIL. I’ve told you a million times before that they are a closet staple!”

“Eve, I don’t think you know what ‘closet staple’ actually means, sweetie.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Make me.”

Eve narrows her eyes at Villanelle, probably calculating her next move. She begins to shuffle her feet and move slowly towards Villanelle, who at the moment has ceased to function properly. Villanelle totally forgets she has boxes and boxes of stuff waiting outside in a truck because the sexiest woman in the world is coming to her at this very moment.

Eve finally arrives in front of Villanelle, breaths away. Without breaking eye contact, she snakes her hands to Villanelle’s neck then jaw and holds them there for a second.

“This is me making you shut up.”

“Huh?” Completely caught off guard, Eve pulls Villanelle close and kisses her. The humid air around them grows hotter as they deepen the kiss, but then Eve quickly retracts, turns around, and begins walking away like nothing happened. With her back turned, Eve glances over her shoulder at Villanelle, smiling devilishly, knowing exactly how she debilitated her girlfriend. 

“Don’t you need to get back to moving those boxes?” Villanelle sighs and stretches her arms before heading towards the door to get the rest of her stuff. However, her playlist shifts to the new song.  _ Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You _ begins to play and fill the living room with music.

_ You're just too good to be true _

_ Can't take my eyes off of you _

Smiling to herself, she walks back to where Eve is unpacking a box of sweaters. Eve doesn’t notice her and continues mindlessly swaying her head to the tune.

_ I wanna hold you so much _

_ At long last, love has arrived _

Villanelle lovingly stares at Eve for a moment, truly grateful to have found someone like her. Inching closer to the center of the living room where Eve stands, Villanelle reaches for her hand and tugs Eve towards her forcefully.

“Villanelle.” Eve eyes the blonde cautiously, again being the more responsible one in the relationship. Instead of going into kiss Eve (oh how much Villanelle wanted to do so), she snakes her hand around Eve’s waist and clasps their hands together in a dancing position.

_ I love you, baby _

_ And if it's quite alright _

_ I need you, baby _

“Vee, um, what are we doing?”

Villanelle winks at Eve and tries to twirl her around to the beat of the song. She laughs at the complete incoordination they both have, and even Eve can’t help but smile. They dance like this for the rest of the song, growing closer and closer together until their faces are buried in one another’s shoulder.

_ Oh, pretty baby _

_ Now that I've found you, stay _

“Hey” Villanelle whispers in Eve’s ear as the song fades back into the background. Eve doesn’t budge and simply gives a “hm?”. 

Villanelle inhales the smell of Eve’s shampoo and digs her face more into her hair. “I don’t really want to bring in any more boxes today. I want to do something else...with you.” 

“And what’s that?”

“How about we try out our bed?” Eve can’t see Villanelle’s face, but she gets the sentiment. She unfurls herself from Villanelle’s embrace and meets Villanelle’s teasing eyes.

“Vee, you  _ know  _ what that bed is like already. You’ve been sleeping in it for months now.” Eve bites her lips, trying to hide her arousal and excitement. She is still half-entangled in Villanelle’s arms and to push her further over the edge, Villanelle lowers her voice and leans near her ear.

  
“It doesn’t hurt to try it out one more time, right?” Villanelle wiggles her eyebrows, knowing Eve truly cannot resist it now. Eve throws her hands up in the air, quickly runs to close the door that Villanelle left open while moving boxes, then sprints up the stairs. Not even a beat passes before Villanelle rushes up those same stairs into their now-shared bedroom and closes the door. Living together is going to be  _ so much fun _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! :))
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> this chapter's appreciation goes to EVERY SINGLE KE FIC WRITER! i could not have written this or anything without all of their works and each story i have read inspired me to write some myself. they are truly the backbone of the fandom <3


	7. december 23rd/24th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "'Cause it's too cold for you here  
> And now, so let me hold,  
> Both your hands in the holes of my sweater"  
> \- Sweater Weather by The Neighborhood

**December 23rd/24th**

“Shit.” Eve sucks her finger after the third time she’s given herself a paper cut. Her fancy dining table was nowhere to be found as wrapping paper and piles of boxes cover the nicely stained wooden furniture instead. The sun hits the table at the most perfect angle while it sets, hence the reason why Eve decided to procrastinate until the day before Christmas Eve to get her wrapping done.

Eve tucks the stack of gift cards for her nieces and nephews and a wrapped box for her sister into a yellow envelope to ship it out to Connecticut. Then she grabs a brown paper bag and takes the pair of Ray-Bans out. Elena had always nagged her for super nice sunglasses so she can look “cool being a secret agent”. Eve clears her table area and unravels the glossy red wrapping paper. Of course, she already sent online gift cards to Kenny, Carolyn, and other co-workers already, but Elena was a special case.

After neatly wrapping the sunglasses, Eve places a sticky bow and signs the To and From with a heart. At this point, it was almost lunchtime and Eve spent the entire morning sipping on her black coffee, wrapping gifts, and finishing up the Christmas tree decorations for Christmas, even though she will technically be alone until the 26th when Villanelle was supposed to come home. Eve is basically counting down the minutes to Villanelle’s arrival time, and in the meantime, she chooses to focus on Villanelle’s present.

For a woman who has it all, it was difficult to figure out what she would like. This was also the same woman who, on multiple occasions, claimed Eve’s taste was “worse than a Russian village woman’s sense of style” and while Eve has never met a Russian village woman, she understands the sentiment. 

Following weeks of consulting style websites, Elena, and window shopping on Bond Street, Eve is quite impressed with herself. She rummages around the covered table for a gold-emblemed box containing a cream-colored cashmere beret and matching mittens. This wouldn’t knock Villanelle’s socks off, but Eve has another gift up her sleeve: plane tickets and a reservation at the Alpine Ski Lodge. It is cheesy as hell however, it is just the most  _ perfect  _ gift for Villanelle. Eve hides the printed itinerary in the box with the hat and gloves then proceeds to wrap it nicely in tissue paper and gently place it in a Christmas themed paper bag.

As Eve cleans up the explosion that occurred on her dining table, her laptop begins ringing, signaling a Skype call coming through. Speaking of the call, Eve was...ticked off that Villanelle skipped yesterday’s chat because Villanelle would  _ never  _ do something like that. God, Eve feels herself getting redhot over some stupid video chat and almost feels embarrassed being so attached to this woman she met accidentally, on a damn ski lift.

She clicks the “Accept” button and smiles wide, “Villanelle!”

“Hey Eve. Sorry again for missing our call, I had uh-- a late work dinner that went overtime.” Villanelle looks like she is back in an office, blonde wispy hair slightly disheveled. Loud whirring sounds of fans fill the background of Villanelle’s connection, bravely battling the heat in Singapore. Villanelle provides Eve an apologetic smile and shrug. It is the cutest sight of a powerful businesswoman that Eve has ever seen, so forgiveness for missing yesterday’s call is in order.

“Hi, Vil. Everything alright there? Are they feeding you well?” Villanelle lets out a chuckle and nods. A silence passes as Villanelle smooths out her shirt and stares at the screen. Eve lets out a sigh and gazes around the room at her decorations. Villanelle must’ve caught on and gasps dramatically. Her eyes widen, and she shrieks excitedly.

“Eve, is that GARLAND and MISTLETOE I see?” Villanelle gets really close to the screen so that the camera only catches her forehead and eyebrows. Eve laughs and turns around to look at the doorway behind her chair. It  _ was  _ decorated with shiny silver garland strands and some mistletoe that she fought with earlier that day (they wouldn’t stay and hang so Eve had to fight them of course).

They stay on Skype for a few minutes longer, catching up on Villanelle and Eve’s work with both being busy because people love making big financial decisions and doing crime right before the holidays. Of course, Eve had to insert that she was still upset that Villanelle wouldn’t spend Christmas Eve and Morning with her, and Villanelle reassures Eve that she is on the first available flight home. They end the call with loving goodbyes and air kisses, and their separate monotonous lives return. While Eve would continue wrapping presents, catching up with family and decorating, Villanelle had a whole laundry list of items to complete before the morning of the 25th.

After hanging up the call, she quickly shuts her laptop off and tucks it, along with some stuff she printed, gently into her purse. Basically running out of the room, Villanelle speedwalks by the numerous conference rooms and through the halls of her hotel so she could get back to her packing and prepping. Maybe she lied to Eve again by pretending to be in the office when she was really in the hotel’s business room, but technically, Villanelle  _ was  _ going to work that day. While it was only December 23rd in London, it was the morning of the 24th in Singapore which also means that her flight leaves tonight.

Yes. Tonight.

Villanelle was originally in the hotel business room to print her tickets for her flight at 11pm tonight, a mere three hours after her last meeting here in Singapore. With her tickets in her purse, nestled between her laptop and a bright red, velvety jewelry box, Villanelle smiles to herself. She bets that this will top every single present ever given because not only does Eve not expect the ring, but she won’t expect Villanelle when she arrives on Christmas morning rather than the day after.

Once she finally gets back to her hotel room, Villanelle rushes to get her suit steamed and ready for the meeting later that day as well as packing all of her clothes (which have been thrown chaotically around the room in the past few days) in her piles of luggage. When Villanelle finishes filling each bag to the brim, she clicks her laptop back on and slumps on the bed. She has a few hours to kill before going back into her  _ real  _ office, so Villanelle decides to get Eve a supplementary gift for the slight fibbing.

She maneuvers her mouse over the Google Chrome tab and double taps it open then to get her in the spirit she also starts playing the Christmas playlist she curated with Eve’s help. “Underneath the Tree” softly plays in the background as Villanelle shops on various sites like Gucci and Hermes. These luxury brands have stores near her office in the center of Singapore, so she could swing by and pick it up before her flight.

Shopping has been #1 on Villanelle’s list of favorite things to do (well maybe it is #2, with Eve being #1). She finds stylish Gucci red and green sweaters for her and Eve that she could pick up after her meeting. In her browsing, Villanelle also discovers a new gray Moncler jacket for Eve because the current one Eve brings  _ literally everywhere  _ is, described in the nicest way possible, old and ratty. Eve has been reluctant to get rid of it since it has supposed “sentimental” value, but Villanelle insists that Eve replaces the goddamn thing. This Christmas was going to be that day. Villanelle bites her lip in excitement as she puts the jacket in her cart as well as the matching sweaters.

This moment is reminiscent of last Christmas, their first Christmas as a couple. It seems so long ago and stuns Villanelle that they have made it that long because both of their relationship track records have not been stellar (let’s just say a pitchfork was involved in one of them). Distracted by last year’s thoughts of cuddling on the couch and opening presents, Villanelle’s alarm sounds, blaring through her hotel room, telling her to get ready for that evening.

One more meeting then she can finally go back home to Eve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading today's update and merry christmas eve <3 
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to tihphi (@plothead) and grace (@sedsapphic) for being such awesome twitter besties and for providing the dead TL A+ tweet content. they are so smart and funny as fuck and are a blast to chat with <3


	8. London

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I can't wait to...  
> Kiss you each morning with strawberry skies  
> 'Cause I get so lost in your blueberry eyes"  
> \- Blueberry Eyes by MAX (ft. SUGA)

_ London, 1 year ago _

“Villanelle. Why the fuck are we watching a horror movie for Christmas?” Eve deadpans. Villanelle smiles mischievously and rubs her hands together. She cleans up the kitchen a bit and grabs the two cups of hot chocolate she made and brings them over to the couch where Eve is lounging angrily.

“I am bringing the Nightmare before Christmas to life, Eve. C’mon, get with the program.” Eve lightly slaps Villanelle’s arm and sighs. She gratefully takes the warm cup of cocoa out of Villanelle’s hand and reluctantly hands the remote over to Villanelle who excitedly takes it.

Today had been exhausting, to say the least, hence the couch surfing and movie watching, although neither Villanelle nor Eve mind. Last night, they went to Konstantin’s house (a close family friend of Villanelle’s) for dinner and presents. Villanelle almost killed Konstatin’s daughter, Irina, but Eve thinks that is the usual business for them. Then this morning, the two lovebirds went to Eve’s mother’s house for breakfast and more presents with the Park Family. Villanelle had met Eve’s mom, Eleanor, before during the summer, and of course, she loved Villanelle. What can Villanelle say? She is  _ amazing  _ with parents (Eve couldn’t believe this).

After jumping from one person’s house to another, there is nothing more the two want other than to watch a damn movie. And that is exactly why Eve is pissed that they aren’t watching Elf or National Lampoon...you know, something light and funny. Villanelle had to fucking bring out Annabelle just to spite her girlfriend. Now, Eve doesn’t mind horror movies; she actually admits to loving them, but watching them at 2pm in broad daylight in matching elf sweaters is not the ambiance that Eve prefers for horror viewing.

Almost two hours later, they finally finish the movie and Villanelle is wholly unamused. For one, the visuals were so obviously fake and not scary and second, Eve gave literally no interesting reaction other than a  _ hmph  _ whenever jump scares appeared. By the time the movie ended, the sun had set and it was dinner time. Villanelle certainly does not trust Eve in the kitchen because just a few months ago when Eve was “just making some toast”, somehow the oven had melted plastic all over it and a fire erupted in the toaster. 

As Eve scrolls on her phone and takes pictures of their tree, Villanelle whips up some risotto and asparagus as well as cutting up a few slices of cheesecake they got from Eleanor. She gingerly plates the meal on fancy china they got from Konstantin and invites Eve to the dinner table to eat. Of course, it was  _ fantastic  _ because cooking is Villanelle’s secret talent (Eve almost fainted when she first cooked steak for her). 

“Oh my fucking god.” Eve takes a bite of the risotto and closes her eyes in pure bliss. “Where the fuck did you learn how to do this?”

Villanelle laughs and takes a bite herself. And damn, she has done it again. They finish the meal in silence, aside from the occasional sigh of deliciousness and having lived with one another for half a year now, Eve and Villanelle fall into their own sync. Eve washes and rinses the dishes while Villanelle dries and places them on the high shelves.

Following the glorious dinner they just had, they settle back on the couch. Villanelle leans into the corner of the furniture, arm resting on the arm of the couch. Eve nestles into Villanelle so that her head lays lightly on Villanelle’s shoulder. The skies darken outside their window and the fireplace in their living room glows brightly in the dim ray of the moon.

“Psst.” Villanelle tries to get Eve’s attention. She can tell her girlfriend is groggy but her present just cannot wait.

Eve stirs and tilts her head up so that their lips are almost touching. Villanelle leans forward and places a chaste kiss on Eve’s soft, risotto-sauce-smeared lips and smiles.

“You want to open gifts don’t you?” Eve cocks an eyebrow up, knowing Villanelle inside out already. She also knows Villanelle’s traditions and holidays were very much lacking when she was a child, so of course, she can’t blame Villanelle for being almost childlike during this time of year.

Villanelle nods excitedly and taps Eve to signal that she is getting up. She saunters over to their gold and white tree and digs behind it. Bringing a huge box wrapped in silvery paper, Villanelle practically runs back to the couch where Eve nibbles on her thumb nervously, wondering what is inside the mystery. She places the box in front of Eve and sits on the floor next to it.

On top of the box lays a cream-colored envelope simply signed with an ‘E’ in cursive. Eve doesn’t even have to look at what is inside the envelope because well, Villanelle is known for love letters, and Eve contently acknowledges that her already-large stack of heartfelt letters and poems will grow bigger and bigger. Being careful and cautious of the delicate wrapping paper, she finds a box from Hermes.

“Oh Vee, you really didn’t--” Villanelle stops her with a soft hand on her upper arm. She shakes her head at Eve and nudges the box closer.

“Eve, your purse looks like you beat multiple people with it and traversed through a swamp, I wanted to get you something nice that you can bring into work and wow everybody.” Eve furrows her brows at the slight backhanded compliment but relishes the smooth dark brown leather of the expensive purse. Feeling kind of dejected after that luxurious gift, Eve stands up and puts her finger under Villanelle’s chin. Eve inches closer, and their noses boop for a moment.

“I love it, thank you.” Villanelle grins and wraps her arms around Eve, pulling her into a kiss. Eve returns the gesture and snakes her own arms around Villanelle’s neck, tugging so that there is barely a molecule of space left between them. Breaking the kiss for a moment, Eve moves her hands so that they cup Villanelle’s smooth face.

“Now, it is time for your gift...which is substantially less grandiose but I think you’ll love it.” Eve gets up and goes to the tree herself. She hid her small jewelry box within the branches of the tree since she knew Villanelle would be snooping underneath the tree every morning before making her coffee and breakfast. Eve brings over a velvety blue box with a red bow on top and hands it gently to Villanelle whose eyes are growing wide with anticipation.

“Eeeeveee, are you already proposing to me?” Eve chuckles and shakes her head no, although keeps the thought in the back of her mind. Villanelle slowly opens the box and her mouth drops open. Inside is a matte silver, signet ring, engraved with a ‘V’ in Villanelle’s size. She quickly picks it out of the holder and puts it on her thumb and gapes in wonder at her new accessory.

“THIS IS AMAZING EVE!” Villanelle pops up and hugs Eve with so much force that they end up falling back onto the couch and onto each other. Villanelle presses her body weight on top of Eve and admires her new ring then admires Eve’s face. This moment is just so perfect and Eve is so beautiful and life is blissful. Villanelle has truly never felt as happy as she does at this very second.

“So, do you like it? Is it something you wanted?” Eve whispers and brushes a loose blonde strand of hair of Villanelle’s face. They gaze at each other and Villanelle cracks a smile.

“Well, all I wanted for Christmas was you,” Villanelle keeps herself from laughing while Eve restrains herself from facepalming, “but this is the second best thing I could ever get for a present.”

Eve places a kiss on Villanelle’s cheek, “I love you, Villanelle.”

Villanelle turns her head slightly and meets Eve’s lips for a quick peck, “Love you more, Eve.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading <3 (one more day/chap until the end!)
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> ANOTHER SHOUTOUT/APPRECIATION to my irl best friend, N. she has read every single one of my fics and helps me edit and brainstorm for them. she is a huge reason why i began writing fic and why i keep writing. truly blessed to have her in my life


	9. december 24th/25th

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "But then one day everything changed  
> You're all I need underneath the tree  
> You're here where you should be"  
> \- Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson

**December 24th/25th**

Eve waves back and traverses down the icy stairs onto the sidewalk. Along with large paper bags filled with food, she struggles to hold it all in her two hands, juggling keys, tons of presents for her and Villanelle as well as attempting to keep warm in the blustery cold. 

“Fuck. Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Aargh!” Eve fights with the Range Rover’s car handle and eventually drops her keys into a gray pile of snow on the pavement outside of Elena and Kenny’s house. She curses her luck for filth then strains to reach down and grab hold of those clanging keys. After her brawl with the keys and the handful of bags she dragged out with her, Eve slumps into the driver’s seat and runs her hand through her hair.

She is utterly exhausted and quite honestly in a terrible mood...on Christmas Eve. Just a few months ago, Eve envisioned a lovely feast with family and friends and most especially, with Villanelle. But here she sits, in a freezing car, alone on the night of the 24th. She, of course, is grateful that Elena invited her over for the day, so that she wouldn’t feel so fucking lonely (and Eve hates pity parties). However, it was nice to talk to Elena and Kenny outside of work and about life and emotions and family. The dinner didn’t come close to Villanelle’s risotto last year, but a nice ham and family-style supper were still very much appreciated.

Now, she drives home in silence, not even bothering to turn on the radio. Eve checks the time: 9pm. When kids and families are excited to open presents or get ready for midnight mass, Eve makes the decision to tuck in early and also sleep in late on the morning of the 25th. Elena doesn’t live very far, so Eve pulls up to the house just a few minutes later. She rubs the tiredness out of her eyes and blows out a breath of hot, sad air then grabs all of the bags to take back inside.

After closing the heavy door behind her, she drifts over to the tree and dumps everything underneath it. Eve doesn’t even have the energy or the motivation to organize it, instead, she stares at it and then tears her gaze away to glance at the house. Eve looks around at the dim-lit living room that is eerily silent. By this time, Villanelle would be dancing around the house or trying to drag Eve away from her laptop to get ready for bed.

Fuck, she misses her.

Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she prys herself away from the decorations and the Christmas presents and stomps up the stairs. Eve basically turns on autopilot like she does every other night and changes into a pair of fleece, striped pajamas. She wonders if Villanelle did the same when it was Christmas Eve in Singapore. Speaking of Villanelle, Eve tucks her feet underneath the blanket and switches on her phone. She types a message, takes a selfie of her in the PJs and sends it. Eve snuggles into her covers and lays her head down. A tear runs down her cheek and she tries her best to fall asleep as lights twinkle outside her bedroom window.

This was turning out to be a not-very-merry Christmas Eve.

**********

_ Good luck on the meeting! Waiting for you ;) merry xmas xoxo _

Villanelle tries to hold back her smile as she reads the text from Eve. She lets out a longing sigh, itching to get back to West Brompton so she could see her.

“HEY! MOVE!”

An angry line of fellow passengers scowl behind her as Villanelle holds up the aisle. She had just landed at Heathrow, and it was also 5 am on Christmas Day (anything for love, right?). She had taken the red-eye from Singapore and wanted to arrive in London right when Eve would be waking up. She gives a half-smile to the frustrated crowd and opens the compartment above her seat to grab her carry on.

Villanelle basically sprints off the plane and through the airport. She is grinning like a wild woman and has the energy of someone who didn’t just come off a long-ass flight. Knowing she will crash and oh god, that cannot happen, Villanelle stops her running to buy a large cup of iced coffee to fuel her. As she puts her wallet back in her purse, a red box catches her eye. She runs her finger softly against the velvet top, careful not to disturb the jewel inside. The excitement and giddiness grow stronger in the pit of her stomach and Villanelle returns to running.

Following a small snafu at the baggage claim (some old woman claimed that  _ Villanelle’s  _ luggage was hers and Villanelle was truly about to fight the elderly), a black car pulls up to the gate for her. As she steps outside, a chilly breeze makes the hairs on her arm stand up.

“Shit, that’s cold.” Being in Singapore meant tank tops were acceptable and jackets were never needed. However, the dreary, dampness of England brings her back to the present and Villanelle rushes to pull a new puffer jacket out of her luggage to put on. She loads her luggage in the car and quickly hops in, rubbing her hands together to warm up. Throughout the entire car ride back home (thank god), Villanelle runs her fingers along the curves and edges of the ring box, feeling every nook and imagining Eve’s face. 

Fuck. Eve. 

The tightness in her chest heightens, and Villanelle feels so guilty for having to leave during the holidays. She stares out the window and contemplates the number of apologies and sorry kisses and I’m-back embraces she will have to give. The sun just breaks the horizon outside her window, painting the sky with a slight orange-yellow hue. The beauty and peace of the scene are still no match for the contentment and raw joy she feels just being next to Eve and with Eve.

Villanelle has told herself she would never be the marriage type. Fling after fling, she never found anybody worth it or intriguing enough to hold her attention. Then after she saw a wild, cursing, gorgeous woman, stabbing the snow for some unknown reason at the ski lodge, Villanelle knew she found her soulmate. And she is now only feet away from her.

The car parks in front of their home. For a minute, Villanelle forgets the world and work and life and worrying. Their bedroom window is still dark but the decorations outside as well as the tree provide enough light to capture the cheer and happiness of the season. Villanelle scrunches her nose, unable to handle the adorable mental image of Eve struggling to hang the ornaments and string the garland.

A moment passes.

“Ma’am? Is everything alright?”

“Oh,” Villanelle nods her head and gives the driver a hundred pounds. “Happy Holidays!”

She doesn’t even look back at the driver, who probably had their jaw gaping at this woman who gave out money like it was nothing. Villanelle tries her best to run up the stairs, luggages in tow. She jiggles the key in the door lock and quietly creaks it open. Villanelle leaves her bags in the living room and peeks at the presents. Seems like Eve went to some sort of party or dinner because she just left the containers of food underneath the tree. Like the good girlfriend (and future wife) she is, Villanelle takes those plastic boxes and places them in the fridge which was empty, save for a few bottles of wine.

She washes her hands and pulls out some coffee beans. It wouldn’t hurt to make her world-class coffee for her lady, would it? Once the coffee finishes brewing, Villanelle goes to the bathroom to freshen herself up and change into their matching striped pajamas. It was cheesy and the bright red stripes almost made Villanelle’s inner fashion designer gag, but it was cute and romantic.

Villanelle walks over to her bags and reaches in her purse for the red box. She opens it, bites her lip, and closes it. Then she opens it again, stares at the diamonds, and closes it. Villanelle cannot fucking believe she is going to do it. She is going to make Eve her  _ wife. _ She tiptoes up the stairs and stands in front of the bedroom door. Villanelle closes her eyes and breaths out to calm herself.

The cold metal of the door shocks Villanelle a bit, but nevertheless, she turns it and slowly opens the door. A puddle of dark brown curls splayed across the white pillows is all Villanelle sees and adrenaline shoots through her. She was here. Villanelle was  _ home. _ Carefully, Villanelle sets the red box on the side table and climbs onto the bed which is warm with Eve’s body heat. She raises her hand over Eve’s shoulder, hovering centimeters above. Electricity seems to run from Villanelle’s fingers to Eve, and she gently rocks Eve.

“Hey.” Villanelle whispers. Eve stirs and lets out a small snore. “Baby. It’s me. It’s Villanelle.”

“Huh?” Eve cracks one eye open and flips over so that she now faces Villanelle. It takes a second to register, but once it hits her, Eve’s eyes fly wide open and without thinking, jumps on Villanelle and embraces her. Eve squeezes Villanelle so tight that Villanelle stops breathing for a second, but that’s okay. She was home.

“God, I missed you. Oh my god, why didn’t you tell me?!” Eve lets go and slap Villanelle as hard as she can. Villanelle is shocked at the outburst then laughs. 

“I wanted to surprise you!”

“What if I had accidentally tasered you or-- or-- thought you were some creepy burglar?”

“Then you would say, ‘that’s one sexy burglar’”

Eve narrows her eyes but starts giggling anyway. She raises her hands to hold Villanelle’s face and pulls her in for a kiss. It is a kiss of yearning and love and hunger and everything one could ever imagine. They gaze into each other’s eyes afterward and Villanelle can still tell Eve can’t believe she is home, on Christmas Day.

“Did you miss me?”

Eve leans back on the headboard and pulls the blanket up to her stomach. She crosses her arms and just stares at Villanelle.

“Of fucking course I did. I was going insane thinking about what you were doing or what we  _ would  _ be doing. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Me too.”

Then silence. But they don’t need to talk anymore because now, they are together. In the same house, the same room and breathing the same air. Villanelle slides her hand behind Eve and wraps her in a hug. They pull up the covers and both let out a relieved sigh. The sun threatens to break through the curtains, yet Villanelle and Eve close their eyes and relish the calm before truly waking up. They will exchange their presents later and Eve will be shocked once again today, but for now, the serenity of simply being  _ together  _ again takes over. 

Villanelle and Eve are home.

**THE END.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EL FIN! AND MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE (+ happy new year ;)) hope you enjoyed this fluffy, soft piece and see you on the next one <3
> 
> send me your thoughts on twitter, tumblr or curiouscat @wasiandonuts
> 
> ************
> 
> THIS FINAL CHAPTER GOES OUT TO YOU. YES YOU, THE READER. i would not be here and writing these stories without your support and lovely comments and kudos. i am so very grateful on this christmas night for all of you out there. wishing you lots of love and health <333


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